A half-brother to multiple champion Indian Blessing, Roman Threat continued
to make a name for himself when dominating Monday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Los
Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park. The promising Bob Baffert-trained gelding
registered his first stakes victory in only his third career outing, completing
six furlongs in 1:08 2/5 with Rafael Bejarano.
The four-year-old son of Roman Ruler made a belated career debut on March 11,
annexing a maiden special weight by 1 1/4 lengths, and then finished a close
second to 2011 sprint champion Amazombie in the Grade 2 Potrero Grande on April
7. Both starts came on the dirt at Santa Anita and Roman Threat was trying a
synthetic track in the Los Angeles.
He flashed to the front when the gates opened, reaching the quarter-mile mark
in :22 1/5 with a 1 1/2-length cushion on the Cushion Track, and continued to
roll uncontested through a half-mile in :44 4/5. Bejarano had plenty of horse
beneath him turning for home and hand-rode his mount to the wire, winning by a
comfortable 1 1/4-length margin.
Owned and bred by Hal and Patti Earnhardt, who also campaigned 2007 champion
juvenile filly and 2008 champion female sprinter Indian Blessing, Roman Threat
boosted his bankroll to $123,600 with the $60,000 winner’s share. He paid $3.60
to win as the 4-5 favorite among seven runners.
Centralintelligence raced in second throughout while never threatening the
winner. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Camp Victory, who was 2 1/4 lengths
better than the late-running Rail Trip. Next came M One Rifle, Sway Away and
Dancing in Silks. Don Tito was scratched.
The Kentucky-bred Roman Threat is out of stakes winner and multiple Grade
3-placed Shameful, a daughter of Flying Chevron who comes from the same family
as Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy and Grade 1 heroines Cat’s Cradle
and Roamin Rachel. Her second foal, Indian Blessing, won nine graded stakes,
including five Grade 1 events. The Indian Charlie filly earned $2,995,420 from a
16-10-5-0 career line.